Hydraulic signals in long-distance signaling

Constructing a framework for risk analyses of climate change effects on the water budget of differently sloped vineyards with a numeric simulation using the Monte Carlo method coupled to a water balance model

Grapes for wine production are a highly climate sensitive crop and vineyard water budget is a decisive factor in quality formation. In order to conduct risk assessments for climate change effects in viticulture models are needed which can be applied to complete growing regions. We first modified an existing simplified geometric vineyard model of radiation interception and resulting water use to incorporate numerical Monte Carlo simulations and the physical aspects of radiation interactions between canopy and vineyard slope and azimuth. We then used four regional climate models to assess for possible effects on the water budget of selected vineyard sites up 2100. The model was developed to describe the partitioning of short-wave radiation between grapevine canopy and soil surface, respectively, green cover, necessary to calculate vineyard evapotranspiration. Soil water storage was allocated to two sub reservoirs. The model was adopted for steep slope vineyards based on coordinate transformation and validated against measurements of grapevine sap flow and soil water content determined down to 1.6 m depth at three different sites over 2 years. The results showed good agreement of modeled and observed soil water dynamics of vineyards with large variations in site specific soil water holding capacity (SWC) and viticultural management. Simulated sap flow was in overall good agreement with measured sap flow but site-specific responses of sap flow to potential evapotranspiration were observed. The analyses of climate change impacts on vineyard water budget demonstrated the importance of site-specific assessment due to natural variations in SWC. The improved model was capable of describing seasonal and site-specific dynamics in soil water content and could be used in an amended version to estimate changes in the water budget of entire grape growing areas due to evolving climatic changes.

The role of plasma membrane aquaporins in regulating the bundle sheath-mesophyll continuum and leaf hydraulics

Our understanding of the cellular role of aquaporins (AQPs) in the regulation of whole-plant hydraulics, in general, and extravascular, radial hydraulic conductance in leaves (K(leaf)), in particular, is still fairly limited. We hypothesized that the AQPs of the vascular bundle sheath (BS) cells regulate K(leaf). To examine this hypothesis, AQP genes were silenced using artificial microRNAs that were expressed constitutively or specifically targeted to the BS. MicroRNA sequences were designed to target all five AQP genes from the PLASMA MEMBRANE-INTRINSIC PROTEIN1 (PIP1) subfamily. Our results show that the constitutively silenced PIP1 (35S promoter) plants had decreased PIP1 transcript and protein levels and decreased mesophyll and BS osmotic water permeability (P(f)), mesophyll conductance of CO2, photosynthesis, K(leaf), transpiration, and shoot biomass. Plants in which the PIP1 subfamily was silenced only in the BS (SCARECROW:microRNA plants) exhibited decreased mesophyll and BS Pf and decreased K(leaf) but no decreases in the rest of the parameters listed above, with the net result of increased shoot biomass. We excluded the possibility of SCARECROW promoter activity in the mesophyll. Hence, the fact that SCARECROW:microRNA mesophyll exhibited reduced P(f), but not reduced mesophyll conductance of CO2, suggests that the BS-mesophyll hydraulic continuum acts as a feed-forward control signal. The role of AQPs in the hierarchy of the hydraulic signal pathway controlling leaf water status under normal and limited-water conditions is discussed.

Molecular and physiological responses of trees to waterlogging stress

One major effect of global climate change will be altered precipitation patterns in many regions of the world. This will cause a higher probability of long-term waterlogging in winter/spring and flash floods in summer because of extreme rainfall events. Particularly, trees not adapted at their natural site to such waterlogging stress can be impaired. Despite the enormous economic, ecological and social importance of forest ecosystems, the effect of waterlogging on trees is far less understood than the effect on many crops or the model plant Arabidopsis. There is only a handful of studies available investigating the transcriptome and metabolome of waterlogged trees. Main physiological responses of trees to waterlogging include the stimulation of fermentative pathways and an accelerated glycolytic flux. Many energy-consuming, anabolic processes are slowed down to overcome the energy crisis mediated by waterlogging. A crucial feature of waterlogging tolerance is the steady supply of glycolysis with carbohydrates, particularly in the roots; stress-sensitive trees fail to maintain sufficient carbohydrate availability resulting in the dieback of the stressed tissues. The present review summarizes physiological and molecular features of waterlogging tolerance of trees; the focus is on carbon metabolism in both, leaves and roots of trees.

Predisposition in plant disease: exploiting the nexus in abiotic and biotic stress perception and response

Predisposition results from abiotic stresses occurring prior to infection that affect susceptibility of plants to disease. The environment is seldom optimal for plant growth, and even mild, episodic stresses can predispose plants to inoculum levels they would otherwise resist. Plant responses that are adaptive in the short term may conflict with those for resisting pathogens. Abiotic and biotic stress responses are coordinated by complex signaling networks involving phytohormones and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Abscisic acid (ABA) is a global regulator in stress response networks and an important phytohormone in plant-microbe interactions with systemic effects on resistance and susceptibility. However, extensive cross talk occurs among all the phytohormones during stress events, and the challenge is discerning those interactions that most influence disease. Identifying convergent points in the stress response circuitry is critically important in terms of understanding the fundamental biology that underscores the disease phenotype as well as translating research to improve stress tolerance and disease management in production systems.

Tree shoot bending generates hydraulic pressure pulses: a new long-distance signal?

When tree stems are mechanically stimulated, a rapid long-distance signal is induced that slows down primary growth. An investigation was carried out to determine whether the signal might be borne by a mechanically induced pressure pulse in the xylem. Coupling xylem flow meters and pressure sensors with a mechanical testing device, the hydraulic effects of mechanical deformation of tree stem and branches were measured. Organs of several tree species were studied, including gymnosperms and angiosperms with different wood densities and anatomies. Bending had a negligible effect on xylem conductivity, even when deformations were sustained or were larger than would be encountered in nature. It was found that bending caused transient variation in the hydraulic pressure within the xylem of branch segments. This local transient increase in pressure in the xylem was rapidly propagated along the vascular system in planta to the upper and lower regions of the stem. It was shown that this hydraulic pulse originates from the apoplast. Water that was mobilized in the hydraulic pulses came from the saturated porous material of the conduits and their walls, suggesting that the poroelastic behaviour of xylem might be a key factor. Although likely to be a generic mechanical response, quantitative differences in the hydraulic pulse were found in different species, possibly related to differences in xylem anatomy. Importantly the hydraulic pulse was proportional to the strained volume, similar to known thigmomorphogenetic responses. It is hypothesized that the hydraulic pulse may be the signal that rapidly transmits mechanobiological information to leaves, roots, and apices.

ABA control of plant macroelement membrane transport systems in response to water deficit and high salinity

Plant growth and productivity are adversely affected by various abiotic stressors and plants develop a wide range of adaptive mechanisms to cope with these adverse conditions, including adjustment of growth and development brought about by changes in stomatal activity. Membrane ion transport systems are involved in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis during exposure to stress and ion transport activity is regulated by phosphorylation/dephosphorylation networks that respond to stress conditions. The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA), which is produced rapidly in response to drought and salinity stress, plays a critical role in the regulation of stress responses and induces a series of signaling cascades. ABA signaling involves an ABA receptor complex, consisting of an ABA receptor family, phosphatases and kinases: these proteins play a central role in regulating a variety of diverse responses to drought stress, including the activities of membrane-localized factors, such as ion transporters. In this review, recent research on signal transduction networks that regulate the function ofmembrane transport systems in response to stress, especially water deficit and high salinity, is summarized and discussed. The signal transduction networks covered in this review have central roles in mitigating the effect of stress by maintaining plant homeostasis through the control of membrane transport systems.

Response of plants to water stress

Water stress adversely impacts many aspects of the physiology of plants, especially photosynthetic capacity. If the stress is prolonged, plant growth, and productivity are severely diminished. Plants have evolved complex physiological and biochemical adaptations to adjust and adapt to a variety of environmental stresses. The molecular and physiological mechanisms associated with water-stress tolerance and water-use efficiency have been extensively studied. The systems that regulate plant adaptation to water stress through a sophisticated regulatory network are the subject of the current review. Molecular mechanisms that plants use to increase stress tolerance, maintain appropriate hormone homeostasis and responses and prevent excess light damage, are also discussed. An understanding of how these systems are regulated and ameliorate the impact of water stress on plant productivity will provide the information needed to improve plant stress tolerance using biotechnology, while maintaining the yield and quality of crops.